This invention relates generally to on-board aircraft entertainment systems and the like. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved television system permitting individualized television program selection and viewing by aircraft passengers.
On-board video systems are known in the art for entertainment of aircraft passengers. Such video systems have become popular in recent years for providing movies and other video programming for entertaining passengers during the course of an aircraft flight. The inclusion of video entertainment during the flight has constituted an effective airline marketing tool and provides the further benefits of reducing passenger fatigue and maintaining many passengers in their seats during a flight.
In the past, video entertainment systems on aircraft have utilized a movie screen or television receiver of relatively large size installed within the aircraft cabin in a centralized location for simultaneous viewing by many aircraft passengers. In this regard, the use of on-board video entertainment systems has been restricted to relatively large aircraft having sufficient cabin volume to accommodate substantially unobstructed viewing of the video programming by many passengers. However, this arrangement does not provide alternative video entertainment for those passengers who do not wish to watch the video program selected by airline personnel. Moreover, no satisfactory video entertainment system has been provided for use with smaller aircraft of the type used for most relatively short range commercial flights and which do not have sufficient cabin volume to accommodate a traditional large movie screen or television receiver.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved on-board video entertainment system adapted for use with aircraft of substantially any size and wherein each passenger is provided with alternative program selection capability. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.